1. Field of Invention
A collapsible pen holder installed within a surface of an object, including an automobile dashboard or briefcase, secures and retains a pen within a cylindrical sleeve slidably engaged within a cylindrical mounting frame member, exposing an end of the pen. The pen is placed within the cylindrical sleeve which is then pushed into the mounting frame member until the cylindrical sleeve is retained within the mounting frame member by a locking mechanism, exposing only an end of the pen. To remove the pen from the pen holder, the end of the pen is depressed, releasing the locking mechanism and ejecting the cylindrical sleeve from the mounting frame member, projecting the cylindrical sleeve from the surface by a spring mechanism allowing the pen to be removed from the cylindrical sleeve.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. Most of the pen holders disclosed in the prior art simply have a means of retaining the pen using a clip, pocket or strap. Common embodiment include the pen holder attached to a sun visor, as indicated in U.S. patent Application No. 2007/0029360 to Connelly, a clip mechanism attached to a car console, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,131 to Starik, multiple outer clip rings attached to any surface, as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,066 to Luisi, or within an adapted slot holding a writing instrument by its sides, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,430,965 to Lai. Cylindrical slots to hold a writing instrument are presented in several prior art patents, including an upright cylinder attached to a display board as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,274 to Hutcheon, the molded clip having a transverse cylinder apparently conforming to the shape of a writing instrument as in U.S. Pat. No. D201,479 to Green, or the pen holder rest shown in several configurations is U.S. Pat. No. 416,003 to Logan.
There was only one prior art patent that included a spring activated means along with an inner and outer member having a locking means. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,210 to Lee, discloses a secured pen holding mechanism provides a seat body formed with a slide socket, with the seat body and slide socket in a slidable relationship. There is a spring which forces and holds the slide socket with the seat body and also clamping members which hold a contoured top of the writing instrument on two opposing sides of the slide socket, which are pressed inward to grasp the pen when the slide socket is raised within the seat body. A latch hook retains the slide socket within the seat body when the device is in the locked position, the latch hook released to allow the spring below the slide socket to lift the slide socket from the seat body and release the writing instrument from the clamping members.